THE ROLE OF BRAND IMAGE IN MEDIATING THE INFLUENCE OF SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING ON PURCHASE INTENTION AT DAPOER RADITYA

The Food and Beverage (F&B) industry in Indonesia continues to grow despite having been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. Changes in lifestyle, consumer preferences, and technological advancements have made the sector increasingly dynamic and competitive. Dapoer Raditya, an MSME operating in the F&B sector, utilizes social media to enhance consumer purchase intention. However, the wide reach of its social media presence has not been matched by a proportional increase in purchase intention. This study aims to analyze the mediating role of brand image in the influence of social media marketing on purchase intention. The research adopts an associative quantitative approach by distributing questionnaires to 100 prospective consumers of Dapoer Raditya in Denpasar City, with data analyzed using path analysis. The results reveal that social media marketing has a positive and significant effect on both brand image and purchase intention. Furthermore, brand image significantly affects purchase intention and is proven to mediate the relationship between social media marketing and purchase intention. These findings support the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and contingency theory, emphasizing the importance of adaptive strategies in shaping brand image and fostering positive consumer attitudes. The practical implication of this study highlights the need for designing relevant and consistent social media content to build a distinctive brand character and increase consumer purchase intention.